Remembering Chris Cornell

I remember doing my first interview ever for radio. It was with Tom Morello, who had recently joined forces with Chris Cornell to form this band called Audioslave. I was a nervous wreck, but the interview turned out great.

As I walked in to the elevator to take me back out of the venue, I thought to myself "Manley, you can totally do this man! You belong in radio," and just as the door closed, I heard someone bellow, "hold it!" That someone was Chris Cornell, and in a split second my mind went from "you're the man" to "OMG don't do anything stupid and don't say a word. You aren't worthy." He had a gravity to him.

I remember having to be on air while Chris was in another room at the station performing acoustic. I was SO mad I couldn't be in the room to witness it with my own eyes, but fortunately I was able to patch the audio being recorded from that room into the speakers in the studio. He was at full throat, blasting our favorite Soundgarden songs over an acoustic guitar. I don't think I bothered with the rest of my show, I just sat in that studio, 50 feet away from Soundgarden, but somehow felt like I was right there. He had a gravity to him.

I remember how excited I was to see Temple of the Dog, in Seattle, five minutes form my apartment. Not a moment goes by where I don't consider myself the luckiest guy in the world to be able to do what I do, where I do it, but I don't know if there has ever been a moment where I was more appreciative.

Here's what you learn when you move to Seattle. Kurt will always be the greatest. Layne will always be the cautionary tale. Pearl Jam will always be our heroes. Chris Cornell will always be The Roots. He was roomies with Andy Wood, forming Temple of the Dog after his passing. Without that would there be a Pearl Jam? His band Soundgarden was the first Seattle band to get a proper record deal. Without that would there ever have been the grunge era? Heck, would there ever have been the 90's?

We are changing quickly around these parts, and today Seattle is probably more known now for things like Amazon,Starbucks, or even the Seahawks. And while all of these things have impacted Seattle and the way it looks, nothing will ever impact Seattle and the way it feels quite like Chris Cornell. He had a gravity to him.